Bi-On-Ic (Dlx Ed) (Explicit)

Since this album supposedly leaked weeks ago, the buzz was not so favorable. I waited until the release today to take it in for what it was and, as expected, it just totally wasn't true. I don't know what people were listening to, or if they even know music enough and/or the delivery of the artist behind it, to jump to these conclusions.

The thing that divides Christina from many of her peers is the fact that she knows music--she gets it--and she knows how to craft an actual album. She's an artist, apparent in the way she reinvents her sound with every release. She takes her time, which is evident in the 3-4 year gap in between her projects. She researches her options and isn't afraid to 'go there,' which is why she rarely repeats producers and collaborators. You get that if you know music, you don't if you're more accustomed to what radio feeds you and content with the smoke and mirrors of the industry.

'Bionic' is a departure from 'Back to Basics,' and a slight throw-back to 'Stripped' only in fluidity and brass. Half of the album is a mix of dance-electronica-pop, which is the direction she hinted she was going in after the conclusion of the 'Back to Basics' era. The other, soul-adult-pop.

The set begins with the Switch-assisted 'Bionic,' which sounds like a left-over from a Santigold or M.I.A. album. It's different, probably more effective as just an album intro, but it definitely makes noise and grabs the listener. The lead single, which probably shouldn't have been her reintroduction to music listeners' ears personally, 'Not Myself Tonight,' is heavy on synths and bass, but it gets better if it alone left much to be desired. "Woohoo" featuring Rap's golden girl of the moment Nicki Minaj starts out eerie and stark before gaining momentum with the title on repeat through-out the entire 5 minute plus song. 'Elastic Love,' another Switch track, has an 80s electric-pop vibe and sounds like old Fannypack, but is exceptional nonetheless even if Christina doesn't do much singing. 'Desnudate' is another bold dance track with much Spanish/Latin influence musically as well as lyrically; Tricky Stweart works his magic for what sounds like something better suited for Shakira or a back-in-the-day Gloria Estefan. 'Glam' and 'Prima Donna' follow suit as Tricky continues to deliver a dance/house vibe that does the first half of the album justice.

The mood changes with the 'Morning Dessert' intro that should be in my opinion an entire track. Very R&B and soulful, a definite stand-out among all the other intros. It sets up 'Sex For Breakfast,' a smooth, mellow R&B jam where she channels her inner R. Kelly perfectly. Linda Perry provides her best and allows Christina to shine vocally for the first time on the album with 'Lift Me Up' which is a ballad and definite contender for a future single. 'All I Need' and 'I Am' are both lite, airy pop tracks beautifully concocted with the help of Sia. She provides even more depth to Christina's amazing tone with 'You Lost Me,' which she recently debuted on American Idol's season finale.

'I Hate Boys,' 'My Girls,' and 'Vanity' bring the uptempo/dance vibe back to the album with sassy lyrics and attitude, closing the regular album. The leftovers on the Deluxe Version are notables and should've been included as part of the original project. Santigold and Switch's 2 contributions, 'Monday Morning' and 'Bobblehead' show her versatility, one pop and the other flirting with Baltimore House and New York club music. 'Birds of Prey' is haunting and reminds you of a Bjork track while 'Stronger Than Ever' has a vocal arrangement that seems somewhat similiar to 'You Lost Me' as it was done by Sia/Sam Dixon. 'I Am (Stripped)' is an acoustic version of the original.

'Bionic' is a slightly stronger album than 'Back to Basics' in terms of drive and direction, but not so much vocally. Most of the dance tracks unfortunately are very busy and focus more on the beats as opposed to her voice. It's safe to say that any artist, especially one whose voice doesn't quite match Christina's range, could pull them off. I think this poses a problem to some loyal supporters, fans, and people who just admire her voice. I don't think however this is a waste of her talent and voice just because 50% of the album is not her belting out notes like we're so accustomed to, and just down right 'sangin'. It offers many singles for future promotion and a little something for every ear and every Christina fan. In terms of her revamped, sexed-up image and the comparisons, all I can say is she wasn't the first blonde-haired pop b**** to do this, and she won't be the last, so comparisons can go both ways if it's only on the surface. I just find it odd that she gets pitted against someone else who came out AFTER her.

With over a decade in the game to her name, I think it's pretty safe to say that Christina knows what she's doing, even if her harshest critics fail to realize it. The music speaks for itself.

It's been four long years since Christina Aguilera released her last studio album, 2006's "Back To Basics." Whereas that album was a throwback to artists and sounds of yesteryear, Christina goes in an entirely different direction on "Bionic." We got a preview of her new sound on "Keeps Getting Better" in 2008. Christina is an artist that I have admired for a very long time, so my expectations and excitement for "Bionic" were high, and frankly I was not disappointed. After having listened to this album for over a month now, it has become my personal favorite of Christina's. Personally, I very much enjoy the whole sound of the album. "Bionic" is sort-of like a patchwork of where popular music is right now, and where it might be headed. It also harkens back somewhat to themes that Christina explored on her "Stripped" album in 2002, such as independence, and having confidence within yourself.

Unfortunately, this album has not been received all that well with listeners, which I think is a shame. There is much to admire here. The ballads, which make up the heart of the album, are among the best ballads she has ever done. "I Am," "Lift Me Up," and "Stronger Than Ever" are amazing. The up-tempo tracks are very good as well. It's impossible for me not to love "Not Myself Tonight," "Elastic Love," "Glam," "Prima Donna," and "Vanity." Overall, I feel that "Bionic" is her most thoroughly enjoyable album from start to finish. Her amazing vocals are well utilized here. While some of the lyrics are not high are by any stretch of the imagination, the album is pure fun to listen to.

There are many different version of "Bionic" available for purchase. These versions include an edited standard version (yuck), an "explicit content" standard version (better, but not the best version available), a deluxe "explicit content" version which has five more songs on it, and an Itunes deluxe version. I have the deluxe version on vinyl record as well as the Itunes deluxe version which is worth it, since it contains an additional song not on the deluxe version. The deluxe version tracks are actually among the best, and should have been on the standard album version.

Here are my song ratings:

1. Bionic - A great way to start the album. It sets things into motion very nicely, and I like it a lot. (4.5/5)

2. Not Myself Tonight - I actually like this song a lot. This is just a fun song that gets me pumped. (5/5)

3. Woohoo (Featuring Nicki Manaj) - This song is basically five and a half minutes of Christina singing about her......never mind. Fun, but not a favorite of mine. (3.5/5)

4. Elastic Love - This is a very fun song. I love the sound of it. (4.5/5)

5. Desnudate - This song is so fun and sexy, and I love it. (5/5)

6. Love & Glamour (Intro) - This is an intro. Not much to say about it.

7. Glam - I like the attitude on this song. Almost makes me want to pretend to be a fashion model. Almost. (4/5)

8. Prima Donna - Fantastic song about being confident and having fun. Love it. (4.5/5)

9. Morning Dessert (Intro) - Another intro.

10. Sex For Breakfast - Very sensual and sexual song. I love Christina's vocals on this one. (4/5)

11. Lift Me Up - I love this song so much. She sings it beautifully. (5/5)

12. My Heart (Intro) - Another intro. This one is very cute.

13. All I Need - Here Christina is singing about her husband and son. I love it. (4.5/5)

14. I Am - My second favorite song on the album. This song is just amazing. (5/5)

15. You Lost Me - Another fantastic Christina ballad. Hopefully this will be a big hit for her. (4/5)

16. I Hate Boys - This song makes me laugh. Being a boy, obviously I don't hate boys. Just pure silliness. (4/5)

17. My Girls (Featuring Peaches) - This is a pretty cool song. I love the melody. Lots of attitude to be found here. (4/5)

18. Vanity - This song has attitude in spades. I just love this song. It's such a great confidence booster. (5/5)

19. Monday Morning - Great song, I really love the melody of this one. (4.5/5)

20. Bobblehead - This song is a little weird, but pretty funny. (4/5)

21.Birds Of Prey - One of my favorites. Pretty kooky and weird, but very enjoyable. (5/5)

22. Stronger Than Ever - An amazing ballad. Love it. (5/5)

23. I Am (Stripped) - A stripped down version of "I Am." I love this version too. (5/5)

24. Little Dreamer (Itunes version only) - I love this song so much. It has become my favorite song on the album. This really should have been available on all versions, not just the Itunes version. It's so good. (5/5)

Overall: 4.5/5

While I've never considered myself a huge Christina Aguilera fan, I've always admired her ability to reinvent her image and her sound with each new record she puts out. From trashy bubblegum girly girl to classy burlesque babe, her voice and songwriting skills have proven she can successfully pull off just about anything. And that's why her latest album, Bionic has me scratching my head, because while it's obvious she's still very much a creative soul, I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what her mission is this time around. She throws a lot at you and none of it makes much sense when taken all together.

My main concern is why a mature woman (or so she seems in interviews and live footage I've seen) would intentionally dumb herself down with low-class garbage like "Woo Hoo," "Vanity," "Bobblehead" and a handful of other tracks that would better suit one of the other numerous young girls trying to break into the music industry (or the never-evolving Britney Spears). I'm all for strong women and speaking your mind, but find it ironic how she feels the need to whore herself out to get the message across. There's also a good amount of electronic voice effects, rapper guest spots, and crude lyrics, which isn't necessarily terrible, but in 2010 that approach has a very "been there, done that" connotation and is actually quite embarrassing coming from an artist like Christina Aguilera who generally is considered a visionary, not a follower. Even some of the better dance tracks, like "Desnudate" and "Not Myself Tonight" never fully amount to a distinctive, catchy melody and will probably require repeat listening to appreciate, though prove to be a lot of fun if you don't think too hard.

Where this CD really shines is the ballads, which Christina has always excelled at. On tracks such as "I Am" and "You Lost Me" we finally get to see the mother, wife, and HUMAN sides of Christina. She still knows how to put her voice on display in all its raw and powerful glory, thank goodness. The only downfall is that she puts all these slow songs together in the middle of the album and it can be rather sleep-inducing if listened to straight through. I'm sure others will disagree with me on this, but the TRUE highlight of the album is the bonus track "Birds of Prey." An ambient, haunting track with Arabic undertones, I would like to see a full-length album with this sort of influence in the future.

Anyway, I guess that just goes to show one advantage of having a 79-minute identity crisis - everyone should be able to find at least a song or two to really connect with. Variety is always a good thing. But unlike her previous releases, listening to the whole CD from start to finish is quite a struggle. Heck, even trying to write a halfway decent review of it has given me a headache, lol. In the end we'll have to assume that Bionic is the result of some inner need of the artist that we as listeners will probably never fully comprehend. The truth is, it's either a brilliantly ironic artistic statement that's flying right over most of our heads, or she just had no sense of direction whatsoever for this project. It's a thin line and I really can't say which might be more true. Go ahead and give it a try for yourself, because as polarizing as all the reviews are, that's probably going to be the only way to gain any real insight.